63 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

Very good. I read this book after watching the TV series, Bones, also based on the life of Kathy Reichs (the author), a forensic anthropologist working with the police. The series is excellent and it was cool to see the backstory and some cases that weren't featured in the TV series. Dr. Temperance Brennan is smart but a bit dry on TV, but the book character is funnier and more clever than I'd expected after watching the show.

Tempe Brennan once again must put aside her vacation when she is asked to analyze the bones of an newborn recovered from a wood stove, two passengers of a plane crash, and a cache of bones that turn up at a "pig pickin" that she and her daughter attend. Who would guess that they are all related?
A very good Tempe novel. I enjoyed it greatly.

"Down time" is not a phase in Tempe Brennan's vocabulary. A sstring of distrubing cases has put her vacation plans on hold; instead, she heads to the lab to analyze charred remins from a suspicious fire, and a mysterious black residue from a small plane crash. But most troubling of all are the bones...Tempe's daughter's new boyfriend invites them to a picnic - a pig pickin' - in the North Carolina countryside, where a cache of human bones turns up. But are they animal or human? X-rays and DNA may link the crimes, but they can't reveal who is closing in on Tempe and her daughter - and how far they will go to keep her from uncovering the truth."

Abridged copy; so they always seem a bit choppy to me on the storyline. Nice reading, but no music to let you know you're at the end of the disc. Overall, not bad but I preferred the book version more.

Kathy Reichs' elaborate and detailed descriptions of the settings and characters help the listener to truly relate to (and follow) the intricate plot. While the TV series "Bones" is allegedly based on this literary series, this unabridged audio tape reveals a much more sympathetic and well adjusted Temperence Brennan.

It's a summer of sizzling heat in Charlotte where Dr Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist for the North Carolina medical examiner, looks forward to her first vacation in years. A romantic vacation. She's almost out the door when the bones start appearing.
A newborn's charred remains turn up in a woodstove. A small plane crashes in a North Carolina cornfield on a sunny afternoon. Both pilot and passenger are burned beyond recognition. And what is the mysterious black substance covering the bodies? Most puzzling of all are the bones discovered at a remote farm ouside Charlotte. The remains seem to be of animal origin, but Tempe is shocked when she gets them to her lab.
With help from a special detective friend, Tempe must investigate a poignant and terrifying case that comes at the worst possible moment. Daughter Katy has a new boyfriend who Tempe fears may have something to hide. And important peronal decisions face Tempe. Is it time for emotional commitment? Will she have the chance to find out?
Everything must wait on the bones. Why are the X- rays and DNA so perplexing? Someone is following her and Katy. That someone must be stopped before it's too late.

Kathy Reichs' books-on-tape are perfect to listen to during the commute back and forth to work! Bare Bones is one of my favorites! All of her colorful characters are there and there are plenty of twists and turns in the plot to keep the listener engaged. This deals with the illegal trafficing in exotic animals. Loved it!

I absolutely loved this book! I finally figured out what I didn't like about previous books in this series...they are too foreign! They take place in Canada with too many French names and places. I find it very distracting to stop and figure out what the hell is being said only to realize they mean the police department or the M.E.'s office. Damn why can't they just say that. Oh hell, rant over.

This one takes place in North Carolina with good ole country boys and girls. These police are actually funny with great personalities unlike their Canadian counterparts who have no sense of humor at all. They are dry as dirt which makes for boring reading.

Tempe even gets lucky in this one. I love Andrew Ryan, he is just perfect for her. And although he is Canadian, he is very quick-witted and hilarious especially at inopportune moments. Of course, we have a convoluted story with people apparently unknown to each other springing up left and right, along with all the bones. Somehow Kathy Reichs mixes in rednecks, African Americans, bears, exotic endangered birds, cocaine, Chinese herbs, bones and Fish and Wildlife Service agents and comes out with a fabulous tale that keeps you glued to the pages racing to the conclusion.

I think I'll stick to the books centered in the US in the future so I can enjoy more of Tempe's adventures, hopefully with Ryan.

"Down time" is not a phrase in Tempe Brennan's vocabulary. A string of disturbing cases has put her vacation plans on hold; instead, she heads to the lab to analyze charred remains from a suspicious fire and a mysterious black residue from a small plane crash. But most troubling of all are the bones....Tempe's daughter's new boyfriend invites them to a picnic-a pig pickin'-in the North Carolina countryside, where a cache of bones turns up. But are they animal or human? X-rays and DNA may link the crimes, but they can't reveal who is closing in on Tempe and her daughter and how far they will go to keep her from uncovering the truth.

What the author does with this series: Kathy Reichs started off slow but gets better and better. This is part of the series called the Tempe Brenner â Forensic Anthropologist. This paragraph applies to all books in this series. Tempe is a anthropologist who works for medical examiners in Montreal, Quebec and Charlotte North Caroline

Even though the books are often very detailed in both location and the examination of the remains, the story often moves faster than you expect.

Do you need to read this series in order: YES or you miss out on too much of the back stories.

Triggers: This is a book about medical examiners at its core, so lots of references to dead bodies, some are described in strong detail (in a forensic way).Our anthropologist ends up in some life threatening situations and on a couple of occasions in the series, animals are killed, sometimes gratuitously. Relatives of Tempe often in up wounded as the bad persons try to get to her through her family.

Dr. Temperance Brennan works with the dead, but she works for the living. "Down time" is not a phrase in Tempe Brennan's vocabulary. A string of disturbing cases has put her vacation plans on hold; instead, she heads to the lab to analyze charred remains from a suspicious fire, and a mysterious black residue from a small plane crash. But most troubling of all are the bones. . . . Tempe's daughter's new boyfriend invites them to a picnic -- a pig pickin' -- in the North Carolina countryside, where a cache of bones turns up. But are they animal or human? X-rays and DNA may link the crimes, but they can't reveal who is closing in on Tempe and her daughter -- and how far they will go to keep her from uncovering the truth.

"It's a summer of sizzling heat in Charlotte where Dr. Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist for the North Carolina medical examiner, looks forward to her first vacation in years. A romantic vacation. She's almost out the door when the bones start appearing." "A newborn's charred remains turn up in a woodstove. The mother, Tamela Banks, hardly more than a child herself, has disappeared. Did she kill her infant, or is an innocent teenager also about to become a victim?" "A small plane crashes in a North Carolina cornfield on a sunny afternoon. Both pilot and passenger are burned beyond recognition. Was it pilot error? Something more sinister? And what is the mysterious black substance covering the bodies?" "Most puzzling of all are the bones discovered at a remote farm outside Charlotte. What has Tempe's dog, Boyd, unearthed? The remains seem to be of animal origin, but Tempe is shocked when she gets them to her lab." "With help from a special detective friend. Tempe must investigate a poignant and terrifying case that comes at the worst possible moment. Daughter Katy has a new boyfriend who Tempe fears may have something to hide. And important personal decisions face Tempe. Is it time for emotional commitment? Will she have the chance to find out?" Everything must wait on the bones. What story do they tell? Why are the X rays and DNA so perplexing? Who is trying to keep Tempe from the answers? Someone is following her. Someone is following Katy. That someone must be stopped before it's too late.

Dr. Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropolgist for the NC medical examiner, looks foward to her first vacation in years. Shes almost out the door when the bones start appearing. It starts with a new borns charred remains in a wood stove, includes a small plane crash in NC, and bones that are both animal and human unearthered by her dog Boyd in an isolated farm yard. As the bones begin to tell their story Tempe races to to stop someone from murdering again!

From Publishers Weekly: "Feisty forensic anthropologist Temperance (Tempe) Brennan is supposed to be on vacation, but body parts keep turning up. At the start of her sixth adventure, she's awaiting the arrival of her current flame, Quebecois sleuth Andrew Ryan, so she can head for the beach near her hometown of Charlotte, N.C. Before he shows up, she's called in to use her world-class forensics skills when a local janitor's infant granddaughter is found dead and charred in an oven. Then some strange, decomposing remains are discovered by Brennan's dog during a barbecue at a local lakeside resort. Ryan finally arrives, but Brennan's vacation is indefinitely put on hold when a small plane crashes nearby. Two people are dead, and her expertise is required yet again ("The skull had suffered massive communitive fracturing on impact. The fire had done the rest"). Brennan eventually realizes that all three cases are linked to a drug-smuggling ring that also dabbles in poaching exotic animals. As she pursues her investigations, she is forced to work with "Skinny" Slidell, a redneck cop who rubs her the wrong way, but tension is defused by the presence of Ryan, who gamely gives up his vacation to pitch in. He matches Brennan quip for quip, and Tempe's dog, Boyd, provides extra comic relief. Reichs has built a reputation on cut-to-the-chase writing and swift plotting, and this latest effort delivers everything her fans have come to expect." Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --

It's a summer of sizzling heat in Charlotte where Dr. Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist for the North Carolina medical examiner, looks forward to her first vacation in years. A romantic vacation. She's almost out the door when the bones start appearing. A newborn's charred remains turn up in a woodstove. The mother, Tamela Banks, hardly more than a child herself, has disappeared. Did she kill her infant, or is an innocent teenager also about to become a victim? A small plane crashes in a North Carolina cornfield on a sunny afternoon. Both pilot and passenger are burned beyond recognition. Was it pilot error? Something more sinister? And what is the mysterious black substance covering the bodies? Most puzzling of all are the bones discovered at a remote farm outside Charlotte. What has Tempe's dog, Boyd, unearthed? The remains seem to be of an animal origin, but Tempe is shocked when she gets them to her lab. With help from a special detective friend, Tempe must investigate a poignant and terrifying case that comes at the worst possible moment. Daughter Katy has a new boyfriend who Tempe fears has something to hide. And important personal decisions face Tempe. Everything must wait on the bones. What story do they tell? Why are the X rays and DNA so perplexing? Who is trying to keep Tempe from the answers? Someone is following her. Someone is following Katy. That someone must be stopped before it's too late.